We Are One
by mickeygirl20
Summary: King Uther and Queen Ygraine have defeated the evil ruler, Cenred. But now, conflict has returned to Camelot, and only Prince Arthur and a druid named Merlin can prevent a war and maintain peace in the land. Based on The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. I own nothing! Originally written for the Reel Merlin challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**"** **We are One"**

 **Prologue**

A magnificent sunrise illuminated overhead as the Kingdom of Camelot greeted a new day. The people were buzzing with excitement, for King Uther Pendragon and his wife, Queen Ygraine were about to introduce their newborn son, Prince Arthur.

The Great Dragon, Kilgharah, stood on the palace balcony as the crowd made its way to the center of the courtyard. Gaius, the court physician and advisor to King Uther, led the royal family to the balcony. At once, the people bowed in respect.

Queen Ygraine handed the small bundle she carried to the Great Dragon. He raised the infant to the sky and gave the child his blessing.

"I present to you, Prince Arthur Pendragon: the Once and Future King!"

The crowd cheered.

Prince Arthur wiggled playfully in Kilgharah's grasp. The young monarch gazed at the people below with his wide blue eyes. After a few minutes, Kilgharah lowered the little prince and returned him to Ygraine's waiting arms.

Sirs Lancelot and Gwaine, two of Uther's most loyal knights and Ygraine's childhood friends stood nearby.

"Ah, Lancelot," Gwaine sighed, "look at the little one. A chip off the old block-and you got to know who's going to raise her?"

"Her parents?" Lancelot replied, not really sure where his friend was going with this.

Gwaine paused for a minute.

"Ok, sure: get technical! But who's going to teach her the really important stuff? Like how to belch," he burped, "And use a sword?"

He put an arm around his friend's shoulder.

"I'm telling you, buddy, it's going to be just like old times! You, me, and the little girl…"

The Great Dragon, who had heard the entire exchange chuckled.

"It is a boy."

"Boy," Gwaine repeated nonchalantly.

"BOY?" the two knights exclaimed in unison.

 ** _Later, in the caves beneath Camelot…_**

Kilgharah worked on his new drawing on the cave wall. All of the Great Dragons before him had come here to commemorate the birth of a new prince or princess of Camelot. The paintings dated back to at least four centuries. Kilgharah himself had painted the images of Uther, his father, and now, Uther's son, Arthur.

As he finished the new prince's image, which was right beside Uther's, Kilgharah couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"Ah, Arthur…"

The Great Dragon added the ceremonial mark to the forehead of Arthur's image.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, signaling the arrival of Balinor, the last Great Dragon.

"Ooh, Balinor!" Kilgharah exclaimed, "what a day it has been! Prince Arthur's birth….another generation of Pendragons is complete, and the kingdom of Camelot is once again secure."

The wind was blowing even harder now, knocking over Kilgharah's paints and supplies.

"Ah! Stop it! Stop it! Balinor, look at the mess you've made! Why do you-"

He paused for a moment, finally understanding what Balinor's message was telling him.

"Ooh…there is trouble in Camelot. There is another boy? Hmm…where could this be?"

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"In Cenred's kingdom…"

Kilgharah cast a worried look at the entrance to the cave.

"But, that is where Uther banished Cenred's followers. Including his most loyal…Nimue.

 ** _Meanwhile, in Cenred's Kingdom…_**

A young boy with messy, black hair and mysterious blue eyes was chasing a turquoise butterfly through the ruins of his homeland.

The youth was only a year old, but already his power was starting to grow.

With an almost inhuman ability, the child leapt into the air and snatched the butterfly out of the sky.

"Gotcha!"

The butterfly tried as hard as it could to get out of the boy's small hands. The boy gave a small chuckle, smirked, and opened his grasp to let the creature go.

"MERLIN!"

 _Uh, oh!_

A beautiful woman with dark brown hair stormed over to the child. She held the terrified butterfly in the palm of her hand.

"Don't let it go! What's the matter with you?"

The woman, Nimue, mercilessly crushed the delicate insect without blinking.

"But, Mother,", cried Merlin, "it wasn't hurting anyone-"

"There is no room for weakness here, my son," Nimue replied coldly. "Remember…Cenred took you in and accepted you as his own son."

Merlin sighed.

"But, he wasn't my father."

Nimue pulled her son close to her.

"No, but he chose you to become the next king. When you rule, we shall no longer be forced to live in these barren ruins!"

"Mother! Mother! Mother!"

Nimue looked toward the source of the interruption. Her other son, Mordred, and her only daughter, Morgana, rushed to meet her and Merlin. They both seemed eager to be the first to share whatever news that had brought with them.

Mordred, who was 6 years of age, and Morgana, who was 9, began to talk over each other.

"We were there- in Camelot! We saw the whole thing!" Mordred began.

"At the castle! We saw everything!", Morgana chimed in.

"We saw Uther's child!", they shouted together.

Nimue was furious at what she was hearing.

"WHAT? Morgana- what did you see?"

"Uther's new child is a boy!"

"A boy? This could ruin everything! Cenred, my beloved….did you hear that? This is going to be more difficult than we expected!"

Mordred turned to stare at his sister.

"Who's she talking to?"

"Shh! Cenred."

Mordred gasped.

"Where? Where?"

Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Cenred's dead, genius."

Nimue grinned.

"Yes! Because of Uther…if not for him, Cenred would still be king. And I, Nimue, his loving, devoted queen!"

Mordred saw his chance to speak up.

"You know, speaking of kings…I was thinking, since I'm the oldest son…maybe I should be king! Huh?"

"Uh? Don't be a fool, Mordred." Nimue said in disgust.

"Heh heh. Just a thought." Mordred whispered.

"Merlin is the chosen one. We must fulfill Cenred's dying wish and train Merlin to be king."

"Oh, yeah! Yeah! I can do that!" squealed Mordred.

Nimue walked to the top of a small hill. Her children followed her. The group gazed at the sight of Camelot glistening in the distance.

"Look…at Camelot, my pets.", growled Nimue. "So beautiful…so inviting. That is our home…that is where we belong. And soon, my beloved Cenred…we shall reclaim your kingdom."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

 ** _Camelot, ten years later…_**

Prince Arthur ran through the halls of Camelot, dodging servants and knights along the way.

After several minutes, he finally reached the top of the palace parapet. It was his favorite place in the castle. From this lookout point, he could see the entire kingdom of Camelot.

"Wow."

He threw one leg over the side of the wall, preparing to climb down like he'd done so many times before.

"Woah!"

Before Arthur could carry out his plan, someone grabbed him from behind.

Uther tightened his grip on his son, who continued to laugh as he tried to escape from his father's grip. The king refused to let go until the young prince had both feet on solid ground.

"Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?", the king asked.

Arthur attempted to reach the edge of the parapet a second time, but Uther held him back once more.

"Father! Let go!"

Uther smiled at his mischievous son.

"Well, I just want you to be careful."

Arthur, who was now attempting to catch a lizard that crawled nearby, wasn't interested. Uther attempted to get through to his son for a third time.

"Arthur, are you listening? Accidents can happen. You could easily get hurt, or captured-"

"Hurt, or captured, or even get lost," Arthur finished for his father. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His father had given this speech hundreds of times before.

Uther nodded.

"And remember…I want you to stay inside Camelot at all-"

Again, Arthur knew what his father was going to say.

"At all times, I _know_. And, if I see any strangers, don't talk to them. Come straight home. Okay. Okay. Can I go know? Please?"

At that moment Queen Ygraine and Gaius stepped up. Uther exchanged a knowing smile with his wife.

"Hmm. Very funny," the king replied.

Ygraine chuckled.

"Mind your father, Arthur."

"Yes, Mother."

"And stay away from Cenred's Kingdom," Uther continued.

"Nothing there but a bunch of backstabbing, murderous Druids," Gaius grumbled.

"Gaius is right. You can't turn your back on them."

His father's statement made Arthur curious.

"Really? How come?"

Uther sighed.

"Hmm…never mind. Just run along now."

"But, Father, I-"

"You'll understand someday. Go on."

"Father…"

Arthur gave his parents a quick hug, then climbed back over the parapet and his way down to the courtyard.

He was almost to the marketplace when he heard his father calling to him.

"And stay on the path I've marked for you!"

Queen Ygraine laughed at her husband.

"Uther…who does he remind you of, hmm?"

"Huh? What? Who?", the clueless king wondered.

"He's just like you were when you were young!"

"Exactly!" Uther exclaimed, "Do you realize the dangers we put ourselves in?"

Ygraine punched her husband in the arm.

"You mean the dangers YOU put us in!"

Both monarchs had to laugh at that.

"He'll be fine."

Ygraine left her husband to his inner thoughts. Gaius followed her.

Uther waited until his wife was out of earshot before calling Lancelot and Gwaine over.

"I want you to keep a close watch on Arthur. You know he's bound to run off."

"Don't worry, Uther," said Lancelot, "We're on him like ale on a drunk man."

"Hey!" cried Gwaine, offended.

"It's the hard truth, Gwaine! Live with it!"

Uther was growing impatient.

"Men, I'm counting on you! Danger could be lurking around every corner."

With that, the two knights ran off in search of their charge.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Arthur was glad to finally be free from palace walls of Camelot, even if it was just for the afternoon. King Uther had good intentions for his son, but sometimes, Arthur found him to be too overprotective. It was suffocating.

But, today, he was playing with a baby deer that had wandered away from its mother in the woods near Camelot. The poor animal was frightened of the strange, blonde-haired creature that was chasing after him, and began to run deeper into the dark forest.

"Hey! Come back!" the young prince called out. "I just want to play!"

Before long, Arthur came to the edge of Camelot's borders on the other side of the forest. In the distance, he could just barely make out the ruins of an ancient castle.

"Wow…Cenred's Kingdom! I wonder what's out there?"

The snapping of a twig behind him put all of Arthur's senses on high alert. The deer was long gone by now, much to Arthur's dismay. The young boy would never admit it to anyone, but he was starting to feel more than a little scared. He had never been this far away from home before. Uther would not be pleased to learn that he had strayed from the path.

Slowly and cautiously, Arthur turned around to see who was behind him. He could hear someone whispering and see movement in the trees.

Suddenly, two figures came out of the darkness.

"AHH!" screamed Arthur.

"AHH!" screamed the new pair.

It was Lancelot and Gwaine.

"Oh, it's just you guys! What are you two doing here?"

The two knights had also regained their composure.

"Now, Prince Arthur," Lancelot began sternly, "as Uther's son, you know better than to go off all alone! You could have been hurt!"

"But-"

"HURT!?"

Gwaine was frantic.

"Uther would kill us! You didn't slip a disc, did you? Catch a fever? Get a hangnail?"

He started checking Arthur for any injuries. The prince dodged out of the way.

"Gwaine! Cut it out!"

"I had one once."

"Very painful," Lancelot added.

"Excruciating!"

"Look guys, I'm just going for a little walk in the woods! There's nothing to worry about! So why don't the two of you go back to Camelot and have a drink or something?"

Gwaine seemed to like that idea.

"See, Lance? The kid's fine! How about a drink?"

"We are not leaving without the prince."

"Oh, come on! Just one drink?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Not a chance, Gwaine."

As the two continued to argue, Arthur saw his chance to slip away. Leaving the two men to their own devices, the prince raced to Cenred's Kingdom.

He was running so fast that he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. All of a sudden, he lost his footing and went rolling down the side of a steep hill. Before he could stop himself, he had tumbled right on top of someone at the bottom of the hill.

"HEY!"

Arthur finally managed to pull himself off of the other boy.

"Who are you? Are you from Camelot?"

The boys began to circle each other. Arthur refused to back down…he continued to make eye contact with the unusual boy in front of him.

He was about Arthur's own age, maybe a year or two older. The black hair on his head made his blue eyes shine like stars. He wore a purple tunic, black pants, and a red scarf around his neck.

Arthur actually found himself thinking the other boy was kind of attractive.

"My name is Prince Arthur Pendragon. I'm from Camelot."

The other boy stiffened at the name.

"Nice to meet you, Prince Arthur," he said with a bow. "My name is Merlin…"


End file.
